In order to excel in a given sport, an athlete typically undergoes extensive training peculiar to that sport. This is especially true of field football games. Typical of such games are soccer (the U.S. common name for Association Football, called "football" outside the U.S.), Rugby football, Australian Rules Football, and football (called "American football" outside the U.S.). The common U.S. names given above will be used hereinafter.
For example, in the game of soccer a player must learn to properly control the ball with all parts of the body except the arms and hands, and including the hands if the player is a goalkeeper. This requires extensive training and practice. Such training often contains many repetitive exercises.
A problem exists with solo training in that certain desirous exercises may be difficult to achieve without an assistant to hold, throw, catch, fetch, or otherwise manipulate the ball for the athlete undergoing training. This is an inefficient utilization of resources for many repetitive exercises.
A problem also exists in that specific exercises often utilizes considerable space. This is especially true of kicking, butting, hitting, or otherwise propelling the ball.
A related problem exists in that a kicked, butted, hit, or otherwise propelled ball needs be fetched. The time taken to fetch the ball, by either the athlete or an assistant, is time not spent in training. Hence, the efficacy of the training is reduced.
A potential solution to the above and other problems is the use of specialized or customized training equipment. A problem exists with the use of such equipment, however, in that the equipment itself requires space. Once allocated, that space is thenceforth dedicated to the specific exercises for which the equipment is designed. Unless a sufficient number of athletes are to utilize the equipment, this represents an inefficient use of resources.
A related problem may lie with the availability of the space required for the specialized or customized equipment. An individual or small group, e.g., a neighborhood soccer club, may not have the resources to obtain dedicated space. They may, for example, utilize common property, such as a park, for training. Under such conditions, the individual or group may be unable to install specialized or customized equipment even were such equipment to be obtained.
Another problem with specialized or customized training equipment is that of cost. For an individual or a small group, equipment cost may be a significant factor in a small training budget. Dedicating funds to any but the most utilitarian of equipment may thus be contraindicated.
What is needed, therefore, is a sport training system that may be used by a solo athlete, not requiring the services of an assistant, is both portable, not requiring permanent installation, and easily set up and taken down, utilizes a minimum of space, serves a variety of different training and exercise functions, utilizes an exercise ball in a plurality of positions, returning that ball to the pre-established position automatically and efficiently, and is cost-efficient.